Aussie coach Eade eases tensions ahead of Melbourne Test

AUSTRALIA coach Rodney Eade has clarified his remarks about Gaelicfootball not having evolved incomparison to Australian Rules.

Eade was quoted as saying that “they [the GAA] have had their thoughts for 100 years and they’ve stayed the same, whereas our game’s evolved and our thinking has evolved”.

However, speaking after a training match against a Victorian GAA selection in the Etihad Stadium yesterday, Eade cleared up his comments.

“That was a very generic statement,” he admitted. “What I thought was with our game we’ve had a lot of rule changes and a lot of northern hemisphere games like rugby don’t change things a lot. While the hybrid game has been modified the number of hand-balls and inter-changes we as a sport look to gain an edge or push the envelope, if that’s the right phrase.

“We’ve been able to do that and that’s all I said. It certainly wasn’t a criticism. Sometimes you push the envelope and it’s a negative. I suppose you won’t die wondering!”

In diplomatic fashion, Eade also qualified his point that Ireland see the Australian professionals as a team to be knocked off a pedestal.

“I think the Irish see it that way. It’s an interesting one; I heard someone yesterday put it quite apt — as professionals we get paid and probably do a bit more but in your sport you’ve the elite players playing. They mightn’t get paid but they’re as committed and as passionate and have as strong a desire to win as our guys.

“The main difference is the time we train and the money but I don’t see a lot of difference as far as professionals versus amateurs, which seems to show a real disparity in talent. But I don’t see that.”

Eade has given assurances his panel will follow the fine example set by his predecessor Mick Malthouse in the 2008 and 2010 series.

Any over-physicality, he maintains, won’t be coming from the home side on Friday. “We’ve spoken about playing in the spirit of the game, we’d like to play aggressively and be competitive which the Irish too are very passionate about the game.

“Obviously, both teams will play to win but we need to play within the spirit of the rules and we’d like the relations to be strong between the two countries and we want the series to continue. We don’t want to endanger that at all.”

Eade argues the 2008 changes to the hybrid game haven’t hampered Australia, although he would like to see the number of interchanges increased.

“Probably the only part of the game I would change would be the interchanges [maximum of 10 interchanges per quarter]. If we had another five or 10 it’d be okay but that’s up to the powers that be. In both games at times we like to whinge and moan — it’s nothing new for a coach to do that!”

Eade also revealed he plans to start Matt Suckling in goal for the opening test.